Page 66 of Big Mad
I rolled my eyes. “Nah, not this time. Even earlier than usual.”Now, go home to Momma.
“Good, I sleep real late.”
After informing Tennessee I wouldn’t create a contract to force Texas to stay in the area, I slammed the door to my ride in front of Lynetta’s row house.
Texas glanced out the window. “Mannn, I love this area, Parkview. I’d be a good dude here. Maybe even get me two pit bulls. Apollo and Rambo. Or Rocco and Nico. You think you and Montana’s friend would feel a type of way if I name my dog Nico?”
I shrugged. “Dude might turn it into a joke on Netflix.”
“Sounds good. He could even use my dogs for a segment, slide me some cash. Anyway, I have this thing for o’s. Classy, huh?”
My knuckles tightened around the steering wheel as I drove away. “So, you aren’t ready to show your ugly mug to Momma?” I nearly plowed into the rear of a car worth over five Range Rovers while glancing at another turquoise row house that reminded me of the one I had left behind.Madison.
“Me? Ugly? No, sir.” Texas shook his head. “We may be half brothas, but we both inherited enough of the same genes. Let that sink in.”
“Can’t.” I turned onto South Claiborne Avenue. “Too busy thinking about sinking my size eleven intoyoass.”
Texas rolled his eyes.
I asked, “Where you been?”
“Around.”
“You’ve done this too long, Tex. When Tennessee wants to argue, you go head-to-head with him. Get cocky. Stupid. But sometimes? You’ve got nothing to say. Shut us all down. You are pushing thirty. Too old for half-assed responses. Be honest and confident in your stupidity and tell?—”
“I know!”
I waited for him to elaborate on his two-liner, but nope. I growled, “Or grow up, brotha! You showed Maddy some of that, what she calls it? Charm. Now, you’re about to leap from cardboard boxes to the Four Seasons like you won a radio contest.” Yeah, I got it like that. My home had classy vibes. “And you sweeping half-sentences in my direction. Talk!”
“About what?” he rasped, hands out. Then his hands fell onto sweats that looked like he’d worn them for a month to the gymafterhe’d warmed up by rolling around in the parking lot.
Texas shifted in his seat. “My bad. I screwed things up with you and Maddy. She had her luggage ready.”
“For a bum, you’re perceptive.”
“Yep. Didn’t mean to come between you and all that. Glad y’all working things out.”
Iwastrying to work out every inch of my wife’s body ‘til you came along.
“Is she moving back home, Wash?”
“Hope so. We’re going to a winery tomorrow. We’ll be gone for a night. If you disappear before Sunday night and leave my place unlocked, I will sue you.”
“Bruh, say less.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, the back of his grimy head falling against the headrest. “I told Ten, I ain’t meant to leave his place wide open.”
I stopped hard in the middle of the road. “Wide open.”
“Unlocked. I didn’t lock the door,” Texas said. “That’s all. Things on my mind. Ten wasn’t tryna hear that.”
“Please. Who do you know who wants to hear all that when they’ve worked hard for their money?” I stared at my brother point-blank, waiting for him to fold or come clean about his situation. A beat later, I shifted my gaze toward the road. “Like I said, Tex, when will you start working hard foryourmoney?” I pulled into the driveway.
Minutes later, I keyed in the home-security code. Texas glanced around Black Utopia. I muttered my wife’s name, wishing she’d walked through the door with me instead.
“Maddy’s on your mind heavy, huh?”
“Yeah. She was always the sweetest. To everyone else.” I glared at my brother.Case in point, you. “But when I was running after her?”
“Chase of your life?”
